Seventeenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Digital nomadism has emerged as a rapidly growing trend in the context of the digital age and the evolution of remote work. The advent of advanced technologies, particularly the internet, has facilitated the liberation of individuals from the traditional confines of a fixed physical workplace and given rise to a global community of digital nomads who leverage technology to work remotely from diverse locations, transcending geographical boundaries. An emerging corpus of literature demonstrates the presence of digital nomads who pose significant challenges to the current ideas of work and state centric policies on citizenship and employment. Further, digital nomadism needs to be understood within a globalizing society resulting in evolving work practices and discourses relating to migration. This paper seeks to illuminate the multifaceted dimensions of the digital nomad experience, offering fresh perspectives on motivations, identity formation, and challenges faced by digital nomads. The study employs a qualitative research design, engaging with the digital nomad community through video analysis on the Youtube platform. Video analysis offers a unique opportunity to explore this phenomenon in depth by tapping into the wealth of firsthand accounts in the form of videos available on YouTube. In doing so this paper aims to examine the phenomenon of digtal nomadism, discussing the implications for the future of work and migration. Further, the paper also challenges the underlying assumptions within existing literature that emphasize freedom as the primary reason for opting to become a digital nomad.